India's endangered lion prides conquer disease to roam free
Lions are a source of pride for India, particularly in Gujarat's Saurashtra region, where man and beast coexist
AFP
February 27, 2021
Photo: AFP
Three years after a deadly virus struck India's endangered Asiatic lions in their last remaining natural habitat, conservationists are hunting for new homes to help booming prides roam free.
The majestic big cats, slightly smaller than their African cousins and with a fold of skin along their bellies, were once found widely across southwest Asia.
Hunting and human encroachment saw the population plunge to just 20 by 1913, and the lions are now found only in a wildlife sanctuary in India's western Gujarat state.